


connection

by Jpe (Anamika)



Category: Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-02 10:24:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11507460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anamika/pseuds/Jpe
Summary: [#700] Sylveon: It wraps its ribbonlike feelers around the arm of its beloved Trainer and walks with them. It sends a soothing aura through them.





	connection

**Author's Note:**

> one day i'll write more than fluffy oneshots
> 
> that day is not today

Living alone obviously meant that more often than not one would wake up alone. It was only to be expected. And yet, as Augustine Sycamore woke up on a perfectly ordinary morning to an empty bed and quiet apartment, he couldn’t help but curse the logic. The washed-out sunlight of early dawn filtering through the window brought with it a fine layer of dust, apparently. While at any other time Augustine may have spouted some wild poetry about “serenity” and “nature,” on this morning he only sighed and reluctantly swung his feet out of the bed, rueing being the only one there to disturb the dust and move through the space.

He swung open his wardrobe in an imitation of his usual energy and pulled out his clothes for the day, running purely on muscle memory. Blue shirt? Check. Clean lab coat? Check. Stylish pants? Check. Red socks? Check. Each article was slipped on thoughtlessly as it was taken out, a hand running through his tangled hair as if the fuzz lodged in his brain would all be swept out by it. When the last button was buttoned Augustine turned to the mirror mounted on the wall. He frowned at the figure staring back; did he always look like such a forlorn soul? It was uncomfortable, almost, the lines under his eyes brought out even more in the faint light and the empty space beside his reflection-body suddenly seemed much too large.

“Don’t you think I look nice today?” 

No answer came except the whistle of the wind outside. Augustine forced himself to smile, two fingers pushing up the edges of his lips, to make the unhappy ghost go away if nothing else. The mirror only gave him a strained mockery of cheer. Between his question to no one and weird imitations of normal facial expressions, the professor felt very foolish.

Well, at least there was no one around to notice.

He trudged out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, pulling together a meager breakfast of cereal he hardly tasted and coffee that was definitely kept for longer than it should’ve been. The empty chair across from him, usually just a piece of non-sentient and therefore non-spiteful furniture, was suddenly offensive the longer he looked at it. Breakfast was finished in silence, the chair subtly ignored all throughout. 

The professor hauled himself out of the door and into the elevator. It was far too early in the day for anyone else to be at the labs yet, but at least in the lower floors there was the promise of company, signs of life other than a sensitive middle-aged man sighing at his own ridiculousness.

Maybe he should take his pokemon up to the loft to sleep more often. That would do wonders for warding off the unexpected bouts of loneliness. Although he’d long since learned his lesson about letting Garchomp try to squeeze herself into his bed, she wouldn’t mind the sprawling plush rug on the floor beside it. Sylveon was particularly fond of his space, too; He might have to spend a day or two reshelving photos or cleaning up broken glasses (again), but when the other option was a repeat of this dreary morning he didn’t think the cons were that bad.

With a soft ding, the elevator came to a stop. Silence hadn’t avoided the lower floors of the lab either, but at least down here there was the faint bustle of a sleepy Lumiose City starting to wake up for the day.

Inside the lab, the Pokemon enclosure was just as comfortable. Most of the creatures were still snuffling and snoring away in their sleep, curled up on rocks or in the branches of the trees or whatever nook and cranny they wanted. Others were up and ready for the day, though, if their excited bouncing over to Augustine as he stepped onto the grass was any indicator.

Sylveon was head of the pack with Linoone and the two Marill close behind. Augustine bent down to rub gently at the Fairy-Type’s head. Obviously pleased with the motion, Sylveon cooed and pushed further into the contact. Psyduck waddled over and bumped absentmindedly against the professor’s leg, sending drops of water onto a displeased Sylveon and drawing out a laugh from the professor. Sylveon flicked his ribbons out to gently turn the Psyduck around in its tracks, setting it on a course back towards the water. Psyduck padded away in its new path without a care in the world. 

A peace had settled over Augustine’s heart just by the Pokemon’s antics alone, and loathe as he was to leave it, he heard a faint shuffling and distant mutters coming from the other room. That could only mean one thing; it was time to suck it up and do his job, like the Official Regional Professor he was. He straightened up more than somewhat reluctantly and couldn’t quite keep the melancholic tinge out of his voice. “Time for work, everyone. It’s been lovely.”

As he turned to leave the gardens a faint trill came at his back.

“Veee?” 

Something warm and soft snaked up his left arm. Augustine looked down to see Sylveon’s wide, curious eyes and that the white tendrils of its ribbons tangling around his arm were the culprits .

“I’m afraid I have to go now, mon ami.” He gave it a smile, gently tugging at the ribbons- to no avail. “I’ll come back later, I promise.”

The grip on his arm only tightened at his attempts. “Veevee! Phwee.” Sylveon’s eyes narrowed. Insistently he stepped forward, humming again up at him with a… Was that sympathy in his eyes? Here he was, being pitied by a pokemon. If Augustine loved pokemon much less and was much, much less knowledgeable on just how smart they were he may have been offended by the sentiment.

Well, at least it was clear what Sylveon wanted. “Do you think you’re up to being a scientist for the day?” It was half-teasing, half-looking-for-confirmation. The Professional, Intelligent professor in the back of his head whispered something about Sylveon’s emotion-based abilities. “Or are you my caretaker now?”

“Vee! Vee!” As if in answer Sylveon jumped forward. Given Augustine was effectively on a cute, fuzzy leash he had no choice but to clumsily stumble after with a “Woah!” 

In the lobby they ran into -literally- the source of the noise. Sina jumped aside and nearly avoided being hit with the speeding pastel bullet. Dexio wasn’t as lucky. 

Sylveon hopped neatly off of the boy with an apologetic whine once the dust settled and impact was made. Thank goodness Augustine had caught himself; the last thing they needed was a pile in the middle of the floor and an injury (maybe several) first thing in the morning. He offered a hand to Dexio, who dazedly accepted it. 

“Uh… Professor? What’s Sylveon doing?” Sina eyed the pokemon. Sylveon blinked up at her at the sound of its name, but still moved back to press against Augustine’s legs. 

“What can I say? He’s certainly got a mind of his own.” He chuckled awkwardly. “I believe he’s already got his mind made up about being my keeper, sorry.”

“He’s gonna keep you company? That’s adorable! What a gentleman.” Under Sina’s gratuitous praise Sylveon cooed, turning away in an obvious attempt to keep up his newly-bestowed position of “chivalrous companion” secure by blushing, as much as a pokemon could, away from their eyes. It was a transparent act, one that had Sina and Augustine chuckling no less.

The distant whirring of machines automatically switching on for the day was a distant reminder that yes, they were all there to do some work. Pleasant as it was, there were more important things to do than admire a Sylveon already having a hard enough time staying humble. “Don’t cause anymore accidents, okay?” With that and a pet of his ears, Dexio turned away from the pokemon. “That goes for _all_ you misters.” Sina added, pointing switching between Sylveon, Augustine, and an obviously affronted Dexio.

“Why am I included? I was the _victim_ here.” 

“You could be an accident magnet! That was a warning sign.”

“That doesn’t make any sense, Sina.”

“It does! Bad luck follows people, you know.”

Professor and pokemon alike easily forgotten, Sina and Dexio’s voices faded with their dashing away together farther into the lab. A look was exchanged between the remaining duo, no less understandable despite the species difference.

“I suppose we should be going too, hm?”

It was such a small thing, and he really couldn’t say if it was because of the empathy ribbons or what else, but the tightening of Sylveon’s ribbons and the gentle pull -more of a suggestion towards movement than anything- tugged at his heart the slightest bit. Augustine smiled and started off down the hall, Sylveon at his side matching him step for step.

\---------------------------------------

Taking care of humans was hard work. This was not new knowledge; rather, it was something Sylveon had been painfully reminded of as the day went on and on and on. Rowdy children, bothersome papers with writing too complicated for him to make heads or tails of, breaks in the intricate machines set up all around the lab, the general melancholy that would settle on the Professor anytime he had a moment of quiet alone- These were his enemies, all bringers of that frustration and sadness Sylveon had vowed to ward away from the Professor the moment he felt that downcast aura around him in the gardens that morning.

Of course, this was easier said than done. The pokemon blew out a “Tweee…” of frustration. The other humans around the lab, though generally cheerful, hadn’t understood the lifeline he’d hooked around the Professor’s arm was giving him good vibes. Even though their tones were nice, he could tell they’d labeled him a bit of a nuisance after the fourth round of tripping someone up and sending important looking papers scattering. 

Honestly, it wasn’t his fault these humans weren’t coordinated enough to avoid running into him like a rock in their path. 

Still, Sylveon felt a little guilty. With a whine he leapt up into the Professor’s lap, settling his front paws on the surface of the desk he sat at. He turned his soulful eyes towards the human’s face, blowing out soft “Phwe, vee?”s at him and further tightening his ribbons.

The Professor didn’t let up on his writing at first, pen scratching away in yet another thick notebook. After a few seconds he paused, right hand smoothing down some ruffled fur on the top of Sylveon’s head with a warm smile. “It’s alright. They’re not mad at you, I promise. There’s just a bit of tension here from all the work.” His voice was soothing- but not enough to fool Sylveon, who could hear the lonely undercurrent to it, and another stab of guilt struck the pokemon. 

Maybe this was a bad plan after all. If not for him, the Professor wouldn’t have shut himself away at his desk without any of the other humans around (“to keep this little one out of harm’s way”), after all…

The light thump of feet upon carpet caught Sylveon’s attention, head swiveling away from the Professor in time to the human’s one curious glance up towards the source. Around the corner came… oh! It was that other human! The one with all the red!

Sylveon had no choice but to jump down onto the floor, what with the Professor rising from his chair to greet the visitor with the same cheery fashion Sylveon always saw. A kiss against the cheeks, arms stretched out wide (albeit the left one slightly lowered thanks to its fuzzy bindings), and a wide smile across his face.

The red human bent down slightly to return the kisses, eye apparently catching the pokemon by the Professor’s side as he did so. “Are you playing babysitter today, Professor?” He rumbled out, brow quirking up as he glanced over the small creature.

“Oh, not quite! If anything, I’m the one being babysat here. Sylveon insisted on staying by me today.” The Professor chuckled, fondly stroking the ribbons for a moment. “Sweet, no?”

“Considerate of him, yes... If you need a keeper. Have your assistants put a leash on you now?”

"I'm not _that_ bad. But they very well might, might they?"

There was much more being said between the two humans but it had all faded into the background. As a Sylveon, he was more than a little more empathically and emotionally inclined than most other pokemon out there. All day Sylveon had felt the Professor’s unhappiness, the little bit of loneliness that kept nagging at his heart no matter how many times the two young humans joined at the hip or the blue-haired one sat in the room and talked with him. During those moments it had gone away almost completely, yes. Still, those humans had work of their own that kept forcing them away from the Professor, leaving the dreary feelings to settle once more.

But now Sylveon could hardly find a trace of that weariness. No matter how hard he strained to feel it, it was as if it’d all evaporated away the moment he saw the red human.

Conversation was still at a high between the men. Neither of them seemed to notice Sylveon looking between them, from one to the other, before cautiously moving closer to the red human. As they talked the two had drawn even closer, probably unconsciously, making the trip to the red human’s side no longer than three steps. Still keeping his hold on the Professor, Sylveon slowly slid one ribbon away from his arm and wound it around the red human’s, light against the black fabric. With the ribbons slightly slack, the red human didn’t notice them on his arm, only continuing his chat with the Professor with an ease to his voice and relaxation seeping through the pokemon via their newly-shared contact.

“Vee. Vee.” Now, time for the next step of his plan. He moved gradually, lightly, pulling the arms of the Professor and red human through the few inches of empty space between them and closer together. Apparently accustomed by now to Sylveon’s tugging, the Professor didn’t notice. The red human, however, was a different case. Just as their hands were almost touching he seemed to realize what was happening. His blue eyes narrowed some as he glanced down at the pokemon- but he made no move to pull his arm away from his hold.

“Is there something you want?” 

His voice brought the Professor out of his trance-like state, and he too looked down to their almost-touching hands.

“Sylveon, what is this?”

Now or never! 

“Phweeeeee!”

Their fingers bumped together clumsily, pushed by the ribbons around their arms. Somewhat insistently, he gripped harder with his ribbons and maneuvered the human’s hands into a position somewhat resembling being held. The Professor’s was now cupped inside the red human’s, at least.

A minute trickled by, spent by Sylveon stepping back to admire his handiwork with the hope that his intentions were clear and the two humans blankly staring at their contact as if they couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

Ever one to catch on, the red human broke the reverie first. “Hm. This is… something.” He remarked.

A pink so bright it rivaled Sylveon’s fur spread across the Professor’s face. “Ah, I apologize! I really don’t know what has gotten into him, he’s been so good all day-”

Although the Professor had started to gently pull his hand away, the red human’s tightened around it, slipping into a more proper holding position before Sylveon could take the charge once more.

“It's not a problem. I can’t say I mind if you don’t, Augustine.” A smile, small but soft and laced with affection, flashed on the red human’s face. Sylveon trilled happily at the sight. Though the Professor was the one happiest to see it, he was sure. The tickling sensation, mixed embarrassment and a quiet joy, that flooded through the ribbon said as much.

“Yes, well…” A soft puff, almost a chuckle, came from the human. “If Sylveon really wants it this way, I suppose we’d end up like this sooner or later.”

It was the Professor’s turn to squeeze the hand in his, awkward feelings melting away at the contact.

Satisfaction welled up in Sylveon’s chest. His work here was done for now.

\---------------------------------------

The work day had long since ended. Some few hours ago the sun’s bright light had faded away as well, replaced by the cool beams of the evening moon.

On the third floor of Sycamore Pokemon labs Augustine Sycamore and Lysandre were seated side-by-side on a couch in Augustine’s office, both engrossed in pages of the many various documents that had been taken out to analyze. Their research had taken them well into the evening, drawing their attention away from all else to concentrate on the pursuit both had enough interest in to devote hours upon hours to.

Yet, for all their absent mindedness, their hands still lay linked together between them. Fingers curled against each other, the bare skin of Augustine’s brushing against the soft fabric of Lysandre’s gloves. By now neither man seemed to think much of the contact, the most attention given to it being an occasional tightening of grips or gentle sweep of a thumb against the other. For all their intimacy, these simple actions felt pleasantly normal.

Under the hands Sylveon had long since dozed off. His ribbons had slipped away hours ago, freeing their arms to do whatever arm-things their heart desired.

Still they held each other’s hand.

Augustine was only torn away from the paper he was engrossed in by the faint chiming of a clock somewhere in the lab. He shifted; beside him, Lysandre did the same, lowering his paper and pulling out his holocaster with one hand. The device flickered to life in an instant, showing a large tell of “23:28” on its bright screen.

Slowly a minute slid by. Augustine, for one, was not inclined in the slightest to move. Between the pleasant weight of Lysandre’s hand in his and the soft breaths of Sylveon snoring, a contentment he hadn’t felt in a long time washed over him. His eyes slipped shut, reveling in the feeling, offering Lysandre another tender squeeze of his hand, a surprised noise signaling it didn’t go by unnoticed.

Lysandre stood up from where he was sitting with a practiced slowness. He drew closer to Augustine, a moment passing where there was no more world beyond their shared grasp. Unfortunately, it couldn’t last forever, and Augustine almost groaned in disappointment at the pulling prompting him to stand up. He did so somewhat reluctantly, standing close to Lysandre as his retribution for having the lovely moment between them go away.

“It’s late.” Lysandre’s voice was almost husky, stare glued to Augustine’s face. “It’s about time I left for the night.”

“If you really must.” Augustine sighed out somewhat dramatically. He made no move to release his hand, though. Instead he walked forward, leading Lysandre to walk with him towards the elevator. “Curse being responsible adults in charge of things.”

“Believe me, I would like to stay too. But it’s for the best that we _both_ get some proper sleep tonight.” Emphasis on the both, the stern Lysandre he was most familiar with rising to the surface before softening again at his next words. “However… if you aren’t too tied up tomorrow, I can come by again when you’re free.”

“My, aren’t you forward, Monsieur Lysandre. I don’t know, we are both busy men… Do you want to see me that much?” He teased. The shifting of his hand and warm smile relayed that it was nothing more than that- teasing.

All the same, a faint blush dusted Lysandre’s cheeks, the man turning away slightly with a huff. “It was a _suggestion,_ ” was the somewhat muffled reply

Augustine laughed. “I know, I know. It would be lovely of you to visit. Always is.”

They walked to the front in silence. They didn’t need anything more than that, everything said in their simple actions. At the door Augustine stopped, while Lysandre went out onto the steps. He turned back to face Augustine, movements languid as he leaned in close to him.

Lysandre’s breath was warm against his ear, lips achingly close to his skin as he pressed a chaste kiss there, then another on his other cheek, before murmuring with infinite gentleness,

“Bonne nuit, Augustine.”

Augustine almost couldn’t breathe, the moment so fragile yet so full, and his voice was hardly more than a whisper.

“Bonne nuit, Lysandre.”

He forced himself to pull away. In the light of the late Lumiose night Lysandre’s eyes shone, that same smile he’d had when they first linked their hands hours before rising up for the shortest, yet longest, of seconds. It was returned in full by the professor. At last, a hold that felt so natural and so precious was broken, and Lysandre turned to walk down the street with his hands at his sides. After a few minutes spent sighing and staring after like some lovestruck teenager (and really, was he much better than that at this point?) Augustine forced himself to turn around too and head back inside the now-empty lab, doors shutting with a soft click behind him.

On the couch Sylveon was still curled up right where he’d left him. For a second Augustine paused; he probably should take him back to the gardens to sleep with the other pokemon. He’d done so much for him through the day in so many little ways, though. A fond smile painted on his face, Augustine scooped up Sylveon in his arms and held him close to his chest. The fairy-type mewed sleepily at the action, but only continued to sleep as the two went through the elevator up to the private loft that he called home.

The favored place on the pillows beside him went to Sylveon. Augustine settled down by him, and with the pokemon asleep on his bed the room didn’t seem quite so large as it had that morning, he noted.

**Author's Note:**

> the original idea was sylveon thinks of handholding as being like his ribbon holding a trainer's arm, but i'm not sure how well that translated into the writing. ah well
> 
> also i 100% didn't proofread this


End file.
